Bittersweet Home Coming
by AriesBalorPrincess
Summary: One horrible blind date plus new neighbors states away equals love? What could possibly happen? AU Christmas story.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello all! Welcome to this years Hart of Dixie Christmas story, or you know the Zade Christmas story. I like to think that it will be a bit different from what I have written in the past. The Idea came to mind after watching a preview for All Rise, I haven't watched the show, just seen Wilson Bethel in the preview clips and the idea sparked and came to life. I don't know when the next chapter will be posted as I still have to write it, nor do I know how long this story will be.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

"You!" They yelled in unison, the second he opened his door, to see the one person he thought he had escaped from New York.

As for Zoe, she was equally shocked to see the one guy she thought she was done with only to find him as her neighbor in a town very few people know about.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her annoyance coming out. Whoever thought this was funny, needed to pay, because of all the people in New York, the one that shouldn't be before her in the south, is the very man that is standing in front of her, shirtless at that. Sure her mouth watered at the sight of his toned stomach, licking her lips as her eyes traveled further down seeing how his jeans hugged him in all the right places.

"Me?" He questioned outraged. It was the voice that brought her attention; her very annoyed focus back on his face. "What are you doing here?" He wouldn't say that he left the city to escape the woman standing on his porch, because he only knew her for a few hours, the worst hours of his adult life, he would say. But really, it was the date from hell with her that told him everything he needed to know, that the city wasn't for him, and he needed to follow in his friends' footsteps and return home to a much slower pace of life.

"Oh no, see I asked you first," Zoe retorted, pointing at him. There was no way that she was going to give him any information. Yeah, okay, it wouldn't take him long to figure it out, though she wasn't about to make it that easy on him.

"What are we in second grade?" He asked with a chuckle. "And frankly, it isn't any of your business on what I am doing here," he smirked, shutting the door in her face.

"Same goes for you," she yelled. "It's none of your stupid stinkin' business," she huffed, storming off to reset the breaker box, that her very rude neighbor had blown.

She muttered to herself, walking around the carriage house, picking her clothes up off the floor and getting the small space put back into order. Anyone could have been her neighbor; she never thought in a million years that she'd be neighbors with the one blind date she had let her mother talk her into going on. Though, it was just her luck for that to happen. She didn't even know that Lavon knew Wade, not that she made a habit of asking her friend who all of his friends were.

Across the pond, Wade sat staring at his TV his video game paused, his half-empty bottle of beer dangling from his fingers; his left hand curled up in a ball. For anyone's life to go from bad to worse in a night, it would be his. First, he got into a fight with his brother that got him kicked out of the Jammer, and then the worst blind date he's ever had the pleasure of being on shows up at his door, informing him that she's now his neighbor and in a town as small as Bluebell, there's no way to avoid her. The option of staying in New York seemed better and better, maybe he could still get his old job back. Sure there'd be a lot of graveling to do, he could suck it up. Right? No, he couldn't.

* * *

"Don' be babyin' me, I don' need to see any doctors, especially, stuck up, snobs from New York," he huffed out, trying to calculate his best chance on making an escape in his fuzzy meddled head. If Dr. Breeland wasn't in, he wouldn't be seeing a doctor.

"Don't be stupid," George muttered, afraid to leave him unattended, knowing his friend would ditch him. Most nights he wouldn't mind, but tonight when his friend clearly had enough to drink and started a fight with a guy twice his size, he couldn't afford for his friend to skip out on being seen. He feared that his friend had at the very least a few bruised ribs and a concussion. "I am not about to let you go on home for Lavon to find you in the morning dead," George told him.

"Then take me to Mobile, it's for the best," Wade demanded from his best friend.

"Not gonna happen," George told him, leaving no room for Wade to argue with him. "You may have a problem with the new town doctor, but dude grow the hell up and let her do her job. We're not little kids holding a grudge over a stolen crayon. You can't avoid her," George stated, close to being done with his friend. The more he heard from his friend being put off about the new town doctor, the more he had to wonder if his friend liked her a little more than he was letting on.

"If I walk out of her exam room worse for wear, I'm suing you," Wade huffed.

"I'll get my counter sue sorted out," George chuckled, shaking his head.

Wade gave his friend a glare, which had his head hurting a little more than previously. He groaned, closing his eyes, tipping his head backwards. He silenced his second groan, hearing the exam door open and her voice trail out grating on his nerves.

"Apply the cream 2-3 times daily, and I will see you next week," Zoe said, giving Mr. Thompson a smile as he nodded and headed out of the practice.

Zoe's smile faltered seeing the two men sitting in the small waiting area the practice held. She gave them, or more like George a small nod of acknowledgement, as Wade still sat with his eyes closed.

With the late hour of the night, for Bluebell, as it was barely 8 at night, it was just Zoe working, and before she could see who needed what, she needed to get Mr. Thomson's file and appointment set up for next week. That hardly took her 5 minutes to accomplish. Taking one look between the two men she could see which one needed to be seen, so grabbing his file had been easy to do so.

"Come on through, Mr. Kinsella, and we'll see what's going on," she said, startling the two men as it had been quiet in the main area of the practice while she worked behind the reception desk.

"How'd you know it was Wade?" George asked, remaining in his seat, he really didn't need to go in and hold Wade's hand, well he did hope that his friend could control his animosity towards the doctor.

"I'm good at what I do," Zoe told him, shutting the door as she entered the exam room, seeing Wade laying back on the exam table. "What can I do for you?" She asked, taking a seat, flipping his file open to have a look.

"Because I picked the wrong friend to spend the night with," Wade smirked at her. Zoe gave him a look, telling him she wasn't amused with what he was saying. "A fight," he said, holding his hands up, to show her how his knuckles were starting to bruise, with a few cuts on them.

"Anything else?" She asked, pulling gloves from the box to put on, to clean up his knuckles.

"Ribs hurt," he told her. "Here," he let her know pulling his shirt up to reveal his toned stomach. "And my head could be less fuzzy," he said, relaxing under Zoe's touch as she took great care of being gentle while cleaning the cuts on his knuckles.

"Okay, I'll check for a concussion once I finish getting your knuckles and ribs taken care of," she informed him.

Back out in the waiting area of the practice with George, he kept looking at his phone to see the time, not that it changed as many times as he looked at it. He didn't know if he should be relieved that there was no excessive noise coming from the exam room or be frightened that all seemed to be quiet. He never did get the full story out of his friend over what happened the night he had gone on a blind date, the most he got was a rant that was extremely unpleasant and one that he couldn't decipher, the very one he still can't figure out. He had stopped trying to figure out a while back, but maybe he should get to the bottom of it for the sake of Bluebell.

George scrambled out of the chair seeing the door to the exam room open. He looked his friend over but saw nothing that suggested anything other than him minding his manners and let Dr. Hart fix him up.

"Go on home Tucker," Wade told him, making himself at home in a chair.

"Aren't you coming with?" George asked him with a frown, looking up to see Zoe with her back to them.

"Nope, the good doc, says I need to stay for observation," Wade smirked, tipping his head back and closing his eyes.

"No, I told you that you need to have someone stay with you, or you need to stay with someone, for the next few hours," Zoe stated, shutting the file cabinet a little harder than necessary as it made a loud bang in the quietness of the practice.

"What better place than the practice?" He questioned, his smirk growing. "Grade 2 concussion," he informed his friend. "You've got plans and well I didn't want to burden anyone else with this," Wade stated, sending a wink in Zoe's direction.

"My lucky night," Zoe mumbled, loud enough for them to hear, heading into the exam room to sterilize it.

"Dude if you're doing this to piss off Zoe, might I suggested not doing so," George sighed, sitting down in the chair he had abandoned a few minutes prior.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, now get out of here," Wade urged him, completely tuning his friend and business partner out.

"I can make him go, and he can stay on my couch," George said, turning to look at Zoe. His plans for the night could be changed; he wasn't too thrilled about going out on a double date with his ex-fiancée and her new boyfriend, who just happened to be the mayor of their town all while he dated the best friend of his ex, and who happened to be the ex of the mayor, talk about complicated relationships in a small town. The more he thought about it, the more appealing it would be to stay home and take care of his friend seemed to be the better choice.

"As appealing as that offers sounds, I would hate to ruin your plans over this, so him staying here is fine; he'll be out of my hair anyway," Zoe told him. She would have him camp out in the waiting area well she worked in her office.

"Oh alright," George reluctantly agreed, grabbing a pen and a small piece of paper, scribbling his number down. "Don't hesitate to call if he gets rowdy on you," he told her, before giving his friend a look.

"Hey now, don't give me that look, I ain't gonna do a thing other than sleep while dreamin' of a certain doc," he winked, sending Zoe a cocky smirk.

"I hate to admit, that Wade's right, he's going to be out here sleeping while I'm working, so I really won't need to bother you," Zoe assured George, making sure to slip the piece of paper with his number in the pocket of her doctors' coat, to be on the safe side, one could never be so sure with Wade freaking Kinsella around.

George sighed defeated and left his friend alone in the practice with the one women who happened to be under his skin. George knew it was only going to end one way out of various ways. Either they were going to leave the practice needing to see doctors of their own, or it would do some good for them both and learn that maybe just maybe all the hate they feel towards each other, happens to be something else entirely.

"Doc," Wade nodded, making himself comfortable on the couch in her office. Zoe moved her attention from the computer screen to look at the smug face Wade was making. Green eyes meeting brown eyes in an intense stare down.

"Wade," Zoe sighed, forcing herself to look away from his memorizing green orbs, needing to get her thoughts from drifting off into dangerous water.

"Zoe, the chairs out there are making my back hurt, this couch will do. Bricks is like sitting on well bricks," he shrugged. "I am the patient after all," he smirked.

"Fine," she sighed, going back to work, trying her hardest to ignore the man across the room. "How's your head? Any dizziness?" She asked, watching the blinking cursor on the computer screen.

"I feel fine," Wade nodded. "Dizziness would be a big no, though walking in here did make me a little light headed. Am I gonna die?" He asked with a worried expression, a hint of a smirk hiding underneath, something that hadn't gone unnoticed by Zoe.

"You'll be just fine, if you rest," she told him.

"What happened to the Doc with the smart remarks?" He teased, kicking his boots off and crossing his feet on the couch, looking at the ceiling.

"She's at work," Zoe quipped out. "And she'd love to be working right now," she retorted, looking over the information on the screen to see where she was at.

"Don't be so pleasant on my account," he informed her. Zoe hummed, tuning him out. "Hey doc," Wade said, catching Zoe off guard with the soft tone he used.

"Yes?" She questioned in a soft cautious voice, giving Wade her full attention, no way able to keep working with him in not only her work space but that of her personal space as well.

"I was curious as to why you even agreed to the set up if you were going to be a such a…well you know; you were there in a very foul mood," he said, not wanting to toss names out.

"I didn't agree to it per se," she told him, biting down on the inside of her lip. Wade looked at her with confusion clouding his green eyes. "My friend," she said, remembering back to the night that it all happened and how she's positive that Wade would've hooked up with her in the lobby of the restaurant, not because of Wade and his player ways but for the lack of morals her friend has.

* * *

"_No, I'm not going," Zoe sighed, sipping on her mimosas as she was having brunch with her best friend since they were in diapers. "My answer isn't going to change, so please drop it," she begged._

"_Why not?" Gigi questioned, raising an eyebrow, looking at her fingers, totally over having this debate with her friend, when she's been asking and arguing about it for the better part of the last hour. One would think she was trying to make her friend break the law and became a criminal instead of going on one small blind date._

_"Because there's no way that I need to be going on a date of any kind. I'm busy with work that I don't have time to date let alone entertain the idea of dating," Zoe sighed exasperated, moving the egg on her plate around. "Guys can't handle my hectic schedule, and I'm the one left heartbroken. Why would I put myself out there, to go through that hurt again?"_

_"Let's ask Mama Hart, shall we?" Gigi asked with a smirk, pulling her phone out. Zoe shook her head, trying to grab at her friend's phone to keep her from making that call. She failed. Gigi got where Zoe was coming from, to an extent, but she knew that Zoe wouldn't find her great love story if she didn't put herself out there._

_"Hello Gigi, no I haven't seen my daughter nor have I been able to catch her," Candice said into the phone irritated, not wanting to take too much time away from her work._

_"Oh no it's like that, I'm sitting here with your daughter," Gigi pointed out. Candice hummed on the other end of the line, Gigi putting it on speaker._

_"It's nice to know she's still breathing," Candice quipped out._

_"Hello to you too Mom," Zoe retorted, stabbing a piece of fruit a little too forcefully._

_"Zoe dear, what is the meaning of this call? I have an important meeting to attend in just a few minutes," Candice informed them, wanting to move this whole thing along._

_"I have this blind date tonight, but I got myself in a dilemma by accepting a date with this sexy model, and I am trying to make your daughter see that there's nothing wrong in going in my place on the date tonight," Gigi explained, giving her friend a smirk, only for her smirk to turn into a frown hearing her friend's mom talk._

_"Gigi as wonderful as the guy might be, Zoe can't be going out on a date with any Tom, Dick or Harry," Candice stated. She wanted more for her daughter than some average Joe._

_"See mom agrees with me, so you can go about and figure out what date to cancel on," Zoe stated, looking at her friend with a smug look, relieved her mom wasn't agreeing with Gigi._

_"That's the thing; he's not some random guy off the street; he's a lawyer, and he works at Cravath, Swaine and Moore; he lives in Tribeca. Do you think that little of me?" Gigi gasped, faking a pout._

_"Sweetie, any red-blooded male is your type," Candice snipped. "And Zoe he's a lawyer; you can make time for a small date; it's not like you need to exchange vows, though it'd be nice," Candice stated, muttering the last part of her statement._

_"Gee thanks mother," Zoe retorted with an eyeroll. "Oh joy, he's a lawyer; I've got to lock him down," Zoe retorted sarcastically. "Can't a woman focus on her career instead of finding a man to take care of her?" She asked. "Mom, you didn't need a man to be a successful working woman, so why should I?" She asked._

_"Zoe, dear, it never hurts to have a successful, strapping young man on your arm; it will merely help boost your imagine in the public eye. You want to be a surgeon so badly, you haven't taken the time to realize you'll be smoozing the higher-ups at Galas and charity events, and having a nice-looking man on your arm will purely help you out," Candice stated. "Go have yourself a work-free night and enjoy yourself, you won't be young forever, sweetie," Candice told her._

_"Thanks for the vote of confidence, mom," Zoe snapped, taking a deep breath. "But you might be right," she sighed._

_"Honey, I was with your father for years; I do know a thing or two," Candice replied. "Now that we've fixed this crisis, I need to be going," Candice said, hanging up without so much of a good-bye._

_"You know your mom is right; I know she's right, and we both know it won't kill you to show up to this date and have a little fun," Gigi giggled._

_"Not going to happen. Dinner is all I am agreeing to for one night only," Zoe stated, caving in to what she really didn't want to be doing on her night off. Staying home, having some wine as she relaxed in a glorious bath filled with bubbles, was her once upon a Tuesday night._

_"Yay!" Gigi cheered. "You won't regret this," Gigi smiled. "Let's shop," she smirked, signaling for the waiter to get the check._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you all for the love on the first chapter. There will be plenty more to come, as this story does seems to be writing itself in ways.**_

_**Do enjoy!**_

* * *

"You are serious, right now? Right?" Wade asked, trying his hardest not to make any sudden movements. He didn't want his body to hate him anymore than it already did and his head wasn't fairing any better when he moved too fast.

"It would help if I knew what you were going on about," Zoe told him. After she explained to him how he should have been on a date with her friend, the room became quiet.

"The date," he whispered.

"Are you okay?" Zoe asked with a frown, getting up and moving around her desk to check on him.

"I'm peachy kin, Doc," Wade mumbled, amused with how concerned she is over his well-being. "You didn't know or want to be there, which does explain the sour attitude you had towards me, and I guess it'd only be right if I shared with you why I had been in such a bad way," he sighed, rubbing his face. Thinking back to that day, is still something that makes him cringe and sigh in relief.

"Oh no," Zoe said, quickly, backtracking to her desk, now that she knew nothing else is wrong with Wade. "That's not how this works. Under whatever the circumstances it was a date from hell, and we don't have to explain why it turned out that way," she told him, plopping down in her chair. She feared what she might feel for the man in her office if she learned the truth about the mood he had been in that night. She was serious when she told Gigi about it being a one-time thing.

"I know that I don't have to explain, but here I thought that we were on the same footing after months of butting heads," he snapped. "The nice thing would have been for you to hear me out, and maybe we could have moved past whatever this wall of hate is between us, but hey, I'm wrong again," he spit out, standing up slowly not wanting his world to tip on its side. "It's true; you can take the girl out of New York, but the snobby stuck up princess remains," he stated, walking out.

"Wade," she called after him, giving chase. "It's not like that," she tried to tell him, only he wanted nothing to do with her and refused to stop and listen to anything she had to say. "And where do you think you're going? You need to be supervised," she yelled as he started his descent down the sidewalk away from the practice.

"I'll crash at my brother's place, not that you really care," he quipped out, keeping his focus in front of him, hands being shoved into his front pockets as he walked.

Sighing Zoe headed back inside the practice, headed to her desk, once again watching the cursor on the screen blinked at her. She didn't mean to upset Wade and sure she could have phrased her words better. She wanted him to know that he didn't need to explain himself because she had done so. Though seeing his reaction of being told that he didn't need to share, she should have heard him out.

Her phone ringing pulled her out of her thoughts; she sighed tossing her phone back into her purse, not wanting to deal with the likes of her mother. It's not like she didn't know what her mom wanted from her. They talked in circles every time they talked.

"Bluebell general practice, Dr. Hart speaking," she answered the phone on her desk for the practice.

"What do you know; my daughter does know how to answer a phone," Candice said, sarcasm dripping from each syllable she spoke.

"Mother, what do I owe for this pleasant call?" Zoe sighed, leaning back in her chair, shutting her eyes.

"You owe me an explanation on why you're still in that horrible southern town and not home in New York?" Candice snapped at her daughter, wanting some answers.

"Simply put, I like it here," she told her mom, biting her lip.

"You've been gone for two months, liking that town can be done from the comforts of the city," Candice stated, cutting her daughter off.

"No mom, it can't," Zoe snapped. "Not only do I like being here, but I like who I am here," she smiled, thinking about how relaxed she's been in the last two months, other than when dealing with Wade, but he's a whole different story, or maybe the same one; she didn't know anymore.

"As your mother…"

"As my mother, you're going to let me do as I want, you don't control me and we both know why you don't want me to be here. I need answers that you can't give me," Zoe stated, her voice trailing off from being harsh to soft by the end.

"Zoe," Candice said, trying and failing at getting her thoughts into order.

"Don't," Zoe said, looking up to see patients enter the practice. "I've got to get back to work, bye Mom," she said, not waiting for her mom to say bye.

"Chuck, leave it be." Zoe flinched at the threat in the guys voice as she walked to the waiting room to see who needed what kind of help.

"Evening folks, I'm Dr. Hart, and do I want to know the full gory details?" She asked, looking at the teen who had a knife piercing his shoulder.

"More like stupidity details," an older woman sneered looking at her son. "My idiot of a son thought it would be oh so fun to have his friends throw knives at him for a stint on the equally stupid social media bullcrap. And they didn't even bother with using the fake knives. Oh no, they used my good ones," the mother huffed.

"Alright, if you'd follow me, we can see to getting the knife out, and you stitched up and on your way," Zoe stated.

She found out the kid with the knife in his arm is Chuck, and he wasn't doing the stunt for followers on social media or anything like that, he was trying to impress the girl he has a crush on and all he did was ruin his chance with her by messing up so badly. Zoe assured him it wouldn't be the end as girls do love scars, that gave Chuck all the hope he needed to know that he still had a chance to ask Judy to the Bluebell high school winter formal.

"Hard day?" Jesse asked, filling Zoe a glass of white wine.

"Understatement of the year," Zoe retorted, taking the glass happily.

"Bartenders are great listeners," he smirked, leaning on the counter.

* * *

Wade walked out of the bathroom, stopping short watching his brother and the one woman who had gotten under his skin in New York only to follow him to his home town of Bluebell, laughing. He thought he saw them flirting and the very real possibility of that happening, made his chest tighten. He rushed outside, going out the backdoor not wanting to be seen, needing some much-needed fresh air.

Not wanting to go back in there and deal with whatever was going on with his brother and the Doc, he headed home. He spent plenty of time being under surveillance; he'd be fine to go home and sleep in his bed and wake up every few hours. That made him think about the very real possibility of not being able to wake up. His brother along with the Doc were out, George and Lavon double dating, as funny as that might be to witness in person, wasn't worth the headache to deal with, especially when his head already hurts. His childhood room sounded less appealing than watching his brother try to flirt with what little game he thinks he has. So, really that purely left him with one option, because the rest of the people that claimed to be his friends, would simply drive him mad.

"Meatball," he grinned, stepping inside his friends' house, making himself right at home. "What's the game plan?" He asked, stealing a handful of chips.

"Uh duh horror movie marathon," Meatball laughed. "Help yourself to whatever," he said, pressing play on the movie. "Not that I am complaining about you being here, but why are you here?" He asked, grabbing his bowl of popcorn.

"Can't sleep," Wade shrugged. What better way to stay up all night than watch endless hours of horror movies, scaring yourself to remain awake for the next month or so?

"Insomnia, man," Meatball said, shaking his head.

Wade agreed, finding that he just didn't want to explain the whole concussion thing and what had led him into getting into a bar fight right before happy hour ever started. And he wasn't quite sure what was going on with Zoe. One minute he thought she looked stunning and then he wanted nothing more than to throw her off the Brooklyn bridge. And now he can see how Bluebell has mellowed her out or so he thought.

He wanted to share with her why he had been in such a funk for their blind date. He doesn't even care that the person he should've met on the blind date was someone else entirely. He wanted to make amends with Zoe. To be civil towards her. She proved that can't be possible.

"Dude you sure everything's alright?" Meatball asked, looking at his friend. Talking about emotions and personal junk hadn't ever been his forte. That didn't mean he couldn't tell when something's bothering his friend.

"I can go if you're gonna pester me about my feelings, can't a friend stop in and hang with a friend, when they're not drunk off their butts?" He asked, plunking the guitar that leaned on the wall next to the couch he sat on, giving the strings a lazy strum.

"We can call the boys and have a little fun," Meatball smirked, remembering back to the days of high school and the nights they spent making noise more than music in the early days of their band practice.

"And interrupt family night?" Wade chuckled. "I don't need that headache," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "One can't simply abandoned horror movie night," he smirked, leaning back on the couch, the guitar laying in his lap.

They sat watching horror flick after horror flick, making stupid comments about each scene that played out before them. Wade lost track of time, stretching his limbs out seeing that the sun was slowly starting to rise. That's when he called it making his way home.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, feeling far too tired to stir anything up with the person sitting on his porch.

"Where'd ya go last night?"

"You're my brother, not my keeper," Wade stated, taking a seat next to his brother, as he stretched out in the chair.

"Except for last night, as I was your keeper since you thought it a good idea to run off and get a concussion," Jesse pointed out. Wade scowled at his brother, closing his eyes, over listening to whatever his brother had to say. "And Zoe seemed pretty concerned about you."

"Yeah, okay," Wade snorted. "From where I stood it looked like you two were getting pretty chummy," he grumbled.

"Dude, I'm not her type," Jesse smirked, pushing himself up from the chair.

"Exactly, if she can't like you, a war hero, than she's too shallow for anyone in this town," Wade spat out.

"Don't get my words twisted little brother. I'm not her type, because you are," Jesse smirked, leaving his brother alone.

"You don't know what you're saying," Wade yelled after his brother's retreating form, getting loud chuckles in return.

Zoe looked between the two brothers, not quite sure she even wanted to know what's going on between them. It's weird enough to get a wink from Jesse as she walked by him, only to be met with an annoyed Wade.

"Do you want something?" Wade snapped, pushing his door open. "Be my guest to be a decoration on my porch," he smirked. "When you're ready for whatever it is you want, do come in," he offered, heading inside the gate house.

Zoe hot on his heels, shutting the door behind herself. She looked around quickly, taking note of the briefcase sitting open on the coffee table; a suit jacket hung over the back of a kitchen table chair, a tie and dress shirt laying over the back of his couch. The rest of the place looking cleaner than her own place.

"I want to apologize," she told him, standing awkwardly by the door.

"Come again, Doc?" Wade asked, stepping out of his bathroom, a pair of flannel lounge pants hanging low on his hips, his shirt tossed over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she told him clearing her throat, feeling her cheeks warm up at the way she had been checking him out. "I didn't word a few things right last night. I didn't want you to feel like you had to explain yourself because I had. You should only explain yourself if that's something you want to do. That date was four months ago, it shouldn't effect us the way it does," she explained.

"It shouldn't but it does," Wade nodded, grabbing his shirt to pull it on. "Do you think that maybe I wanted to tell you because it's what I needed to do, not because you had shared?" He asked her, motioning for her to have a seat.

"I didn't," she sighed, taking a seat on the couch. "Though I am listening if you want to share now, if not, I will see if you still have any symptoms of a concussion," she told him, looking down.

"That'd be great, Doc," Wade nodded, sitting on the coffee table in front of her. "Mind doing your exam as I tell you?" He asked. Zoe nodded, going into doctor mode.

* * *

_"Why in the hell did I decide that being a lawyer in New York was what I needed to be?" Wade asked with a sigh, pulling on his tie. If it was the end of the day instead of lunch, he'd be taking the stupid thing off. He loved his work with all of his passion, he, however, hated the dress code._

_"Because you wanted to make your parents proud, or more importantly, you did it for your mom," his long-time best friend spoke from behind him, making him jump slightly._

_"No, really?" He gasped, falling into his chair, his head falling to his hands, sighing. "I gave up everything to be here and instead of being on my way to be made partner, like you, I have been told that I lose one more case I am out of here," he rattled off. "And do you know I would love that," he stated, looking at his friend. "I didn't want to be a lawyer in a big company for the rich; I wanted to be lawyer for the little guy, and here I am stories above where I should be," he said, pointing to the floor to ceiling windows behind him._

_"No one said you can't be doing that, Wade. Sometimes it takes a while to get to where we need to be," George stated, making himself comfortable in one of the chairs in his friends' office. "It's not the first case you've lost; we've all lost cases, dude. And they know how valuable you are to this company. And honestly, I would turn down being made partner if they do ask," George confessed._

_"That's all you've talked about, why turn down your dream?" Wade asked, wondering what could possibly happen in his friends' life that would make him change everything he's ever wanted in life as far as his career went._

_"It's what my dad wants, and I thought I wanted it, but I don't. None of this is me. And I've been thinking about moving back to Bluebell," he shared._

_"Lemon?" Wade questioned, giving his friend a very knowing grin._

_"No, Annabeth," George smirked, getting up. He laughed at his friends' expression. "Talk to your brother more."_

_"Jesse isn't one for town gossip, neither am I," Wade frowned. The last thing he wanted to talk about when talking to his brother was the local town gossip, he asked about how his brother was handling the Jammer now that Wally signed off on selling Jesse the place after he came back from war. Love scandals wasn't talked about._

_"Next time then," George laughed. He was going to let his friend stew in the unknown for a few hours. "Also I need a favor from you," he said hopefully._

_"I'm not taking on any of your cases; I have too many of my own cases," Wade groaned, shaking his head. He's overworked himself; he hasn't seen the inside of his place in weeks other than his bed in passing._

_"Oh no, that's not it," George chuckled with a little glint in his eye. "With the possibility of things with Annabeth, I need someone to go on my date, and I pick you," he smirked._

_"George, what the hell!" Wade exclaimed, quickly following after his friend, storming into his office. "How can I go on your date?" He questioned._

_"It's a blind date set up by Clark, and I had only agreed because I didn't see a way out of it," George told him._

_"I can't possibly go on a blind date; I've got loads of work to do," Wade sighed, grabbing the back of a chair._

_"Wade, I can't stress this enough you need to take some time off of work and focus on you before you burn out. You have the candle lit at both ends, and that's not a good thing. You don't have to walk out of tonight with a girlfriend, just go, relax and let the stress of work go for a night; you'll feel better in the morning; I swear," George pleaded with him._

_"Fine," Wade grumbled. "Email me the details," he said, leaving his fiends office for his own, the email from George waiting for him._


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey all! Sadly, I only have two more chapters for this one before it's over.  
****Thank you all for the love this far into the story.**

**As you'll see this one goes back before either one of them ever make the decision to make the move to Bluebell. This chapter does take place after the blind date. **

** Enjoy!**

* * *

**Three months ago  
****Zoe's P.O.V**

"I'm sorry," Zoe told him, taking a seat across from the man who requested a meeting with her. She tried to finish her rounds as quickly as she could, but realized that she couldn't rush her job and the strange man who requested a meeting with her, could wait. If he knew anything about hospitals like his title gave away, then he understood how busy it can get.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Dr. Hart," he smiled, standing up to shake her hand, sitting a little straighter in the chair he sat in once he sat down again. "Dr. Brick Breeland, I own a practice in Bluebell, Alabama," he told her, getting right into why he requested to see her. It may have been years ago, but he remembered how crazy and hectic working in a big hospital can be.

"Pleasure to meet you," Zoe told him with a polite smile. Brick nodded, returning her smile. If it hadn't been for his best friend, he wouldn't be here right now, keeping a promise, one he didn't intend to keep, until it got the best of him. "I've never heard of Bluebell," she frowned.

"It's quite the tiny Town," he chuckled lightly. "It's bypassed a lot on a map, and we're okay with that," he told her. "It's going to sound crazy, but I want to offer you a job."

"As what? A General Practitioner? A surgeon?" She asked him. Not that she needed to, she was plenty sure that he wasn't seeking her out to be a surgeon in his hometown.

"Yes, as a General Practitioner," he nodded, confirming what she knew to be true. "I know it's not for everyone, but it's a blessing to be one, to connect with each patient," he tacked on, wanting her to see that it wasn't all bad.

"I'm not saying it is, I am, however, saying I don't think that's me. I am doing exactly as I dreamt of when I was a little girl, and quite frankly, I can't see myself leaving New York and no offense against you, but I can't picture myself stepping down to be a GP," she told him, hoping that she hadn't offended him.

"None taken," he assured her. "I can see why you would think of it as a downgrade in your career," he said, holding his annoyance back the best he can, not wanting to offend the young doctor in front of him, he couldn't afford that. "Honestly, it will seem that way, and I can tell you that it isn't the case. I have never been happier, fewer hours and still helping people, did I mention less stress as well?" He asked with a small smirk.

"Sign me up for less stress and fewer hours," she laughed. "Thank you for the offer, Dr. Breeland, I…" she sighed trailing off, not really sure what to say. She was flattered, but it's a big ask for her.

"Can you please think about the offer?" Zoe didn't know what to say, turning him down seemed wrong but was she willing to give up everything she had in the city?

"Why do you want me to come work for you?" She asked instead, curious to why he wanted her, in what came off as a bad way. She couldn't figure out why, so asking is the only way. The offer tempting as it is, she wasn't completely sold on it. Her work is in the city and honestly; she didn't know if she could work anywhere else. "How did you even hear about me?" She asked, frowning. She has never heard of the Doctor sitting across from her.

"I have a friend in the city and when I told her about wanting to bring in someone else to give myself some well-deserved time off, she had suggested you," he started to explain, some truth to his lie. "Now I hadn't believed the hype with what she was saying. So I did what anyone in my place would do, I checked into you and other than some bedside manner, you'd be a perfect fit for our little practice," Dr. Brick Breeland explained to her, leaving out the main reason in doing so. That wasn't his place to insert himself, not yet. He could and would do everything he possibly could to get Zoe Hart to Bluebell, Alabama; the rest would lay upon the late Harley Wilkes.

"Can I have a few days to think the offer over?" Zoe questioned. It was a hard question to come right out and give an answer to. All she's ever known is the city she grew up in. Everything about her is New York. And packing her life up to move South to what she heard was a small town, she didn't know if she could do it, or if she could make it work.

"I'll be in town for a few more days," he told her. "I'll stop in and see what you have decided on," he nodded, getting up. "Dr. Hart, working in a small town may not be anything like working here, but you really get a sense of community, pride at what you do. Working here and working in Bluebell are two very different environments, and you'll never know if you don't try to make it work in a small town," he said. "What I am trying to say and failing at is, that you should give Bluebell a chance," he stated, walking to the door of the conference room. He knew that it would be a hard sell to get her on board with not only moving to the south, but to change the path of being a surgeon to being a small-town practitioner.

"I will think about it," Zoe told him, getting up as well and following him. "I make no promises, but thank you for the offer, for the opportunity regardless of what I decide to do. I will be in touch," she smiled.

"The offer, it will remain on the table. If you do decide that you can't manage the hectic schedule of a New York surgeon, you have a place in Bluebell," he offered. If it were up to him, he'd keep the practice to himself. It's what he wanted for years now, but after losing his best friend and running the practice for the last six months, well he did miss working with someone.

"Thank you, Dr. Breeland," Zoe smiled. "Honestly, I don't know what I want to do. Everything in me tells me to politely decline your offer, and then there's small part that says otherwise," she told him with a sigh, seeing a nurse rushing up to her. "I will have a definite answer for you before you leave," she assured him, a file being thrusted into her hands, the nurse pulling her off, telling her everything that was in the file.

"Take your time, Dr. Hart," he said to himself, Zoe rushing down the hall to the bank of elevators.

* * *

Two days after the offer by Dr. Breeland, she sat at her kitchen island, drinking coffee as she looked through the file he left with one of the desk nurses. There were so many good things about moving to Bluebell that yes, it did appeal to her, she just wasn't ready to move and give up on the dreams she's had since she was 9 years old.

"Coming," she yelled, slipping from her stool, heading to her living room to see who was at her door.

"Good, you are home," Candice said, walking in, placing her purse in a chair, giving her daughter a hug.

"Good to see you as always, mom," Zoe said, returning the hug, keeping as much of her annoyance at bay. She's trying to build the bridge with her mom now that she's no longer a kid, and can understand how work can consume you, not that it made up for all the times she had been left with a nanny.

"We'll have to do brunch soon, sweetie," Candice told her, walking into the kitchen. "What's this?" She questioned, scanning over the file open on her kitchen island. "No!" Candice snapped, face turning pale, everything she kept from her daughter, to protect her, can't possibly be coming back to hurt her once more.

"What do you mean no?" Zoe asked, closing the file, taking it from her mom. Clear as day that something much bigger was going on.

"You have spent your life becoming a surgeon, and you're going to waste your talent to become a GP?" Candice asked her, ignoring her daughter's question, because she couldn't tell her daughter the truth, it would ruin the already fragile relationship they have.

"That's what's keeping me here," Zoe told her mom. She wasn't going to explain anything with her mom until she knew for sure what she wanted to do.

"You've spent too much time on your career, to throw it all away," her mom commented, happy to hear that her daughter had no plans, running head-first into the past she had left behind what felt like ages ago. "Now, I have a charity event tonight and the perfect date for you," her mother told her, making herself a cup of coffee to fill her daughter in on the events for the night.

* * *

**Three months ago  
****Wade's P.O.V**

He groaned, grabbing his head as he sat up in bed, getting comfortable against his headboard, grabbing the aspirin from the nightstand and popping two of them into his mouth, swallowing them dry, as he couldn't bear to make his way into his bathroom. Noting that maybe he shouldn't have had that last shot or glass of whisky at closing time.

The good thing about it being a Saturday, he didn't have to rush into work, and could stay in bed a bit longer, doing just that by scooting back down in bed tossing the covers over his head. He tried, really tried to will himself back to sleep, until his stomach started to grumble for something to eat, within ten minutes of trying to sleep. Cussing under his breath, he tossed the blankets off, stretching his stiff limbs out, as he made his way to the kitchen only after making a very much needed pitstop in the bathroom. His first stop, once in the kitchen, making himself a cup of coffee, extra strong. Then off to make himself a quick and easy breakfast.

As he waited on his coffee, and his left-over pizza from a few nights ago to heat up, he grabbed his briefcase, pulling his laptop out and powering it up. He added sugar to his coffee, sitting at his kitchen table, lightly blowing on it already tasting the rich flavor to hit his taste buds in some very much needed caffeine boost.

It may have been the weekend, but his work never stayed at work. And as much as he wished that he could have a lazy Saturday, he knew he couldn't, not with his boss breathing down his neck.

Keeping his fingers clean of any grease from the pizza, he checked his email and got busy going through the new cases that were given to him last night. Most of them were easy cases to win so he didn't fret over them, as he does them more times than he can count since taking the job.

"Son of a…" he trailed off, seeing the divorce case in the stack of files. He hated divorce cases. He was raised to believe that once you marry you're with them until the very end. And he could understand some cases for a divorce, but the ones he's seen; they've been the same; they've grown tired and want to ruin the other person. He hasn't seen a single divorce case where they've tried to make it work. And that alone irked him to his very core.

The divorce case ruined any mood he had for working, and his head still having a light strumming, made worse by the screen of his computer; he moved to the living room and flicked the TV on, flipping through the channels, leaving it on a sports recap, leaving the volume low.

He could feel his eyes growing heavier by the second, ready to submit to more sleep when the computer made a few beeping noises. He groaned lightly answering the video chat from his brother.

"Morning sunshine," Jesse laughed, leaning back on his couch.

"Mornin' Jess. There a reason for this little chat?" Wade asked, with a small grumble. He didn't mind chatting with his brother. They've had differences over the years, and managed to fix half the problems they had with each other. They would never be as close as they were as kids, too much has happened in life for that to be true again, they weren't innocent any longer, and they knew how life worked.

"Other than to see my face?" Jesse asked with a smirk. "Nope," he laughed, seeing the annoyance on his brothers face. "How was your night last night?"

"Better than this meddling conversation is going," Wade grumbled. "We're not kids; you can stop worrying and get on with what you called about," Wade sighed, snapping at his brother. If he wanted to drink the bar dry or take some slutty drunk to bed, that's his prerogative and none of his brother's business. Not that he did either of those things last night.

"As your older brother, I tend to worry, especially with you living in the city you don't particularly like," Jesse smirked. "Don't even start, I know that's your home, and you have no desire to return home to Bluebell," Jesse quickly added, seeing the look of annoyance on his brothers face.

Wade rolled his eyes at his brother. He may not have a real bond with New York, and despise the city that never sleeps, despite that really strong dislike he has against the city; it's still the one place that holds his job, the job he doesn't enjoy any longer.

"Other than checking in, as you can see I am alive, not quite well, but being an adult can be a drag at times," Wade sighed. "Anything you needed?"

"Yep," Jesse nodded. "Bluebell is going mad with George returning home in less than two weeks for good, and I am trying to find someway to convince my brother to come home for Planksgiving, because if anyone understands being away for the holidays it's me," Jesse told him, not once giving Wade a chance to cut him off. The holiday was still months away, but he wanted to get on it, knowing Wade needed the extra time with his high-profile cases.

"I'm sure there's going to be a whole town event complete with a parade," Wade muttered, knowing that George being the Golden boy of Bluebell would get the red-carpet treatment.

"You wouldn't be wrong," Jesse chuckled. "Planksgiving? You in or out?"

"A normal family Planksgiving, I think I can do that, this year and for the years to come," Wade sighed, breaking down enough to confide in his brother over the troubles he's been feeling in the big bad city.

"You planning on moving back or something?" Jesse checked, watching his brother closely through the screen. He could see something's off with his brother; he chalked it up to Wade spending the night drinking.

"I wish it could be that simple," Wade sighed. "I'm starting to hate my job here; I've looked into other law firms, ones that I have always wanted to work at, and I feel stupid doing that, to give up everything I have done for the firm I'm at. Then wondering if I can make my own law firm work," he sighed, confessing it all to his brother.

"You're not stupid for wanting to chase your dreams. Having a cushion-y job like yours isn't everything. If it's no longer fulfilling, find a job at a law firm that is, you're not stupid wanting to be happy in life. And who am I to complain if that brings you home again," Jesse told him, leaving all teasing out of it, he wanted his brother to know that he was being serious.

"Don't you think I know that?" Wade snapped, tossing his head back, and taking a deep breath. "I don't even know what I want anymore," he shared. "And as fun as moving home would be; it's feel like I would be giving up on myself, and that I'm retreating with my tail between my legs."

"No one is going to think that," Jesse stressed. "Just think about it, whenever you get more than 10 minutes to yourself."

"Easier said than done," Wade muttered. "I can see that you're itching to go, I'm gonna guess to go for a run," Wade chuckled.

"You, little bro, could use a gym membership," Jesse chuckled. "I am wanting to go for a run, stop at the cemetery, and swing by and check on my favorite girl," he smiled, all dorky like.

"How are they holding up?" Wade asked.

"Jen's doing okay, holding it together for Katy. And Katy, she misses her dad, but she's still the happiest little girl around," Jesse laughed.

"And you my dear brother are smitten with Jen and wrapped around Katy's little finger," Wade laughed. "Give them both my love," he told his brother. Jen has always been Jesse's best friend since they were toddlers. She had lost her husband a year and a half ago, deciding to move back to Bluebell after his death. Jesse took it upon himself to be the welcoming committee.

"I can't deny what's true," Jesse laughed.

With that the brothers said their good-byes, Wade in a better mood than he had been when he woke up that morning. With a new sense of self, he opened his Internet and searched for law firms around the New York area. The more smaller firms he looked at the more he really just wanted to find a building and open his own firm up. And he quickly and easily realized that it wasn't something he needed to do in New York.

The city he called home was never part of his dream; he came for law school, and he never actually left finding a job right out of law school and worked his way up and sadly as he felt less like him and what he wanted to be a lawyer for, the more his work suffered, the bigger hole he dug for himself. Maybe going home for Planksgiving in a few month's time, would only help him figure out the rest of his life. Until then, he'd suffer through his job most would kill to have. For a brief second, he wondered if that made him a sucker for wanting a job that paid less, but remembering those he wanted to help, he realized quickly he's being him and there is no price tag on that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey all! Enjoy this chapter. I am hoping to have the final chapter up by the end of the week.**

* * *

Zoe sighed opening the storage locker where all their stuff went once there was no need for it to be clattering up her mom's condo. After having a quick look around her mom's office, she was actually relieved that the documents she wanted weren't at her moms place but rather in storage, giving her time to go through them all.

The way her mom had freaked and forbid her to make the move to Bluebell played over and over in her mind for the last month, and she knew there's something her mom kept from her; she just didn't know what and she's determined to figure it out.

A lot of the stuff had her smiling as it was the projects she had made throughout her years in school, anything from art class to essays when she got older. Mother and father's day clay, what she guessed should have been a mug, instead a clump of colored clay with a hole in it. The notes sent home by the teachers she's had over the course of her elementary school years, stating she refused to participate in making a Christmas tree ornament. She laughed remembering the trouble she thought she was going to be in when she got home, but because they didn't do a Christmas tree, instead celebrating their Jewish roots, her mom praised her for sticking up for her faith.

As fun as reminiscing is, she put her childhood memories away, and went in search of what she knew her mom had hidden away. Something as important as Zoe hoped it would be, meant that it lived among a pile of dust with everything else that had been cast out of the house, and the fact Candice didn't want her daughter to find them.

She smiled a little too brightly seeing a box buried under what she could only describe as crap, utter crap, things that were broken and should have met its destiny with a trash can. Freeing the box marked houseware, covered in a thick layer of dust, she pulled the cover off, finding a mountain of paper and letters, some addressed to her mom, and the occasional one addressed to her. She frowned having never seen the letter. She did laugh seeing the return address to be in Bluebell, Alabama.

With the box she needed, she locked the storage unit, and headed home to sort through what held the keys to unlock her mom's weird behavior towards the small southern town.

Pouring herself a glass of wine, she sorted through the box putting the letters in order, along with other papers. She frowned seeing a petition of child custody, seeing Harley Wilkes listed as the father, a petition for DNA proof that he is the biological father. She placed those on top of a file with more legal documents grabbing the first letter written, taking a long drink of her wine before reading the letter.

_**My dearest love,**_

_**It's been days without word. I know you have a hard choice to make. I feel like I did on the last day of our cruise, of you slipping away from me. Candice, sweetie, I would give everything I have here in Bluebell up, if it meant I get to spend my life with you anywhere in the world. We have something special, please don't toss it away like it means nothing to you, because I can see in your soul that it means the same as it does for me.**_

_**Give me a chance to show our love is real and true.**_

_**All yours,**_

_**Harley Wilkes**_

Zoe sighed, being careful to place the letter back into the envelope. She wasn't sure if she wanted to scream at her mom for giving up on something as special as Harley thought they had, or really just believe that she was destined to be like her mom, lose the greatest love of life because of her work. Bluebell sounded better the more she thought about it.

Skipping over the letters making a grab for the last one in the pile, she sank back on her couch, afraid to see what was written in the last letter, seeing that some bad blood had taken place between the two of them.

_**Candice,**_

_**All I ever want is a chance to know my daughter. It's not a big ask; I don't want to take her away from you and the home you've built for her. I want phone calls, letters, school pictures and visits. As her father, I want what's best for her, and I disagree with you about keeping this from her. She needs to know the truth, long before she figures it out on her own, she's a bright child, and she'll be mad that you kept a big lie from her.**_

_**I'm not trying to say I know what's best for her or you, I only want you to see reason and let a father know his child before it's too late.**_

_**I beg you, let me have a bond with Zoe, take her pain away about Ethan leaving. Give Zoe a reason to smile for a father. Let her have a father.**_

_**If you don't reply, I've got my answer, and I will do everything I can to have a relationship with my daughter, whether it be today or ten years henceforth. **_

_**Do what's right for Zoe, and no one else.**_

_**Dr. Harley Wilkes**_

She didn't dare open the letters addressed to her, not sure she was ready to read what her father, her true father had to say to her. No, instead she placed them in a safe spot, grabbing her laptop, leaving the mess of players on her coffee table, not sure how she wanted to go about confronting her mom over the lies she's been telling as the truth, her whole life.

She found very little on Dr. Wilkes online, and she retorted to calling the number Dr. Breeland left, in case she changed her mind about Bluebell and becoming a GP.

"Bluebell general practice, Emmeline speaking, how may I help you?"

"Is Dr. Wilkes in?" Zoe asked, her nerves growing at a rapid speed.

"Honey, I don't know who this is, if this is a joke, or you've been living under a rock, but Dr. Wilkes passed away seven months ago."

Zoe forgetting her manners, hung the phone up, not needing to hear any more on how her mom ruined the only possibility she's ever had at getting to know her biological father, and it hurt. She cried for Harley and what could have been a wonderful relationship, if only.

"Mother once you get this message, come over; we need to have a chat, bye," Zoe spoke to her mom's voicemail.

The right thing would have been to wait a day or two to calm down, but she didn't know if she'd ever be calm enough to talk to her mom about the lies and deceit she had been made to live with, playing make believe, with real emotions and lives.

"Zoe, what's the emergency?" Candice asked, entering her daughter's place, seeing that Zoe looked fine.

"No, emergency," Zoe said shaking her head. "I only want the truth from you. What's in Bluebell?" Zoe asked her mom; arms crossed over her chest.

"I…I don't," Candice sighed, licking her lips getting her composure under control. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I never heard about that town until you brought those papers home from that nutty Doctor wanting you to give up your life's work," Candice rattled off.

"Can you tell the truth or is it all lies?" Zoe snapped, showing her mom the papers. "Because I know the truth," she sighed, chewing her lip. "I want to know why you didn't tell me."

"There wasn't anything to tell. You have a family, and you didn't need a man you didn't know coming into your life to flip it upside down on you," Candice retorted. "And you don't know the whole story, Zoe."

"I know enough. He loved you, and you picked money and lies over something that could've been real. I don't doubt your love for Ethan, but you let lies ruin that. And I can't deal with you and the lies you told. I missed my chance at getting to know who my father was, to explore this other half of me," she sighed, burying her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry for a lot of things, but I'm not sorry for doing what I believed to be the best for you, Zoe," sighed Candice. Could she have gone about it differently? Yes, but she did what she thought was the best as a mother.

"And I'm doing what's best for me," Zoe stated, gaining her confidence back having decided what she needed to do, to fully understand who she is as a person.

"Bluebell general practice, Emmeline speaking, how may I help you?"

"May I speak with Dr. Breeland, please?" Zoe asked, watching her mother's reaction to what she had to say next.

"One moment, please," Emmeline told her, putting her through to Brick.

"Dr. Breeland," he answered.

"Dr. Breeland, it's Zoe, Dr. Hart to be precise," she cringed, fumbling over her words; the deep chuckle on the other end of the line didn't make her feel any better.

"Dr. Hart, it's good to hear from you," he smiled; one Zoe could hear, putting her at ease. "What is it I can do for you?"

"I'll take you up on that job offer," she told him. Listening to how he thought that it was great she decided to try being GP out. A choice she wouldn't regret making. His only question is when she'd be there. "December 1st," she told him. She still had things that needed to be taken care of in New York, like her two-week notice to her boss for starters. And she didn't know if she would be able to make it before then.

"I'll be seeing you then, and I'll get things taken care of for you here, Dr. Hart," he told her.

Zoe smiled, saying goodbye and hanging her phone up. Agreeing to go work as a GP in Bluebell felt freeing for her. And it wasn't to get back at her mother, more so that she would be able to find a way to connect with Harley Wilkes.

"What are you doing? Why throw your life away? Think about your career, Zoe!" Candice snapped, outraged that her daughter would be that petty to toss her life away, for no reason at all.

"I'm doing what makes me happy, mother," Zoe simply stated, putting things back into the box. "Who said anything about throwing my life away?" She asked, replacing the lid to the box, having kept everything she wanted from it. "I am very much thinking about my career. I wanted to be the best in my field to get the approval from Ethan, now that I know he's not my father; I want to see if I have what it takes to be like the father, I lost any chance to ever know," she explained, more than likely her mom didn't understand anything she had said.

"You're making the biggest mistake of your life," Candice huffed.

"We're all entitled to our mistakes, the difference in what you call my mistake here, only affects me, not a family-like yours had done," Zoe calmly snapped. "Feel free to take the box with you, if not it'll be coming with me," Zoe shrugged, grabbing her glass, heading to the kitchen to not only get a refill, but escape her mother as well.

She released the breath she was holding hearing her mother storm out of the house in what she could only assume was a fit of rage. She wasn't surprised to see the box sitting on her coffee table, the lid hanging half off. Reading another letter written for Candice tempted her, it's the unknown number flashing across her cell phone, that had her frowning as she answered it, ready to tell the scammer off.

"Dr. Zoe Hart," the deep male voice spoke. "I'm calling on behalf of Bluebell to welcome you to your little remote town."

"Thanks," Zoe frowned. "Who exactly is my welcoming committee?" She asked, wanting, no needing to know the name the voice belonged to. As she swore, she's heard the voice before.

"Mayor Lavon Hayes," he chuckled.

"The Lavon Hayes?"

* * *

Wade smiled looking around the gate house. Dust and broken boards were no match for him. He was gratuitous that Jesse let him stay at his place, but he wanted his own place to call home. And one talk with Lavon had him fixing up the gate house, the place needing less work than he had thought as the place stood empty for over a decade or longer.

When he started his search to find a law firm that fit him, he couldn't find the one that spoke to him. A lot of them were doing good, but didn't fit him the way he liked. Expressing his feelings to George when he talked to him to see how his friend was settling back into the small town after being away for so long, had him confessing that he couldn't find the right fit in the city and that maybe he'd have better luck moving back to Alabama and looking in either Fairhope or Mobile.

_"You can always come work at the firm in Bluebell. You can be partner," George told his friend._

_"I don't know," Wade sighed. The job offer was one he couldn't pass up, but he was still on the fence about moving back home after being gone for so long._

_"What do you mean you don't know?" George chuckled. "It's what you want to do and with two lawyers, it also means more time for you to itch that little itch of yours and do your own project, that can't be done in the city," George told him. "Think about it."_

_"You know as well as I do, that there's more to it than think about it," Wade sighed. "It's not just about the job, but moving back to the place that I don't know if it even feels like home," he shared. He still had many demons to face when it came to Bluebell._

_"I know that," sighed George. He had been there watching his friend fall apart as his family life crumbled beneath him. "You can always go home."_

_"Can I?" Wade asked, frustrated. Here he is wanting an argument about moving home when he has come to the conclusion on going home to Bluebell more than once._

_"Yes, you can," George stated. "Wade," he sighed, having so much he wanted to tell his friend, but in the end, it didn't matter what he said, it all came out to what Wade truly wanted. "Think about it."_

_It took him very little time to think about it. In fact, it took him more time to tell his boss he was putting his two-week notice in, and to find someone to sublease his place. Because yes, he could go home. He realized that he needed to face the demons from growing up, from the past he left behind. One can't simply out run their past. It's time he overcame it._

The hassle it took to leave the city behind was definitely worth it, coming home to the quiet nights, which honestly took him longer than he'd like to admit to getting use to. It's been two and half weeks, and the silent nights still got the best of him, finding it hard to sleep without the noise of the city outside his window. The white noise was a huge adjustment to get used to once more.

The peace of mind of being home again, truly worth it. Nothing's better than that feeling of home.

Having spent the better part of his day, dusting, and replacing broken boards, he grabbed his shirt, he had lost along the way, having gotten too hot and sweaty to keep it on any longer. He used the back of his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead, as he walked to his car, using his shirt as a towel for his hair. He needed food and a beer.

He grabbed a different shirt that laid in the backseat of his car, not caring how dirty it smelt, as it's cleaner than the one, he tossed in its place.

"How's the place coming along?" Jesse asked, having a cold beer waiting for Wade.

"Good," Wade nodded, drinking half the bottle in one go. "Should be out of your place tomorrow," he informed his brother. "Can I get a burger?" Wade asked.

"Fries or chips?" Jesse asked, pretty sure he ready knew the answer to that question.

"Fries with the burger, make sure you add bacon," he warned his brother. "And I'll take some chips while I wait," he told Jesse.

"I'll get your order in and bring you a basket of chips," Jesse told him. "Pickles on the side?" Wade gave his brother a thumbs up, as he took a drink of his beer.

Maybe it should have surprised him how quickly his brother learned his eating habits after only being back for a short amount of time. The only thing that did surprise him when it came to his brother was how different he is around Jen and Katy, and it was in a good way. He was happy that everything Jesse has been through from serving his country to feeling lost being back to being a civilian once more. The Jammer being the one place Jesse felt some sort of peace at. Jen and Katy bringing so much more of life into his brother. Seeing Jesse wearing sparkling tiaras and pink sashes was pretty perfect as well, playing tea parties and taking care of baby dolls. Love couldn't be that bad, and it gave Wade the want to have the love his brother found.

"Funny how we leave for success and find our success here at home, where we should have never left to begin with," Lavon said, thoughtfully sitting next to Wade.

"I wouldn't say that," Wade told him. "I found a lot of success out there in the world, and yet I have not found any here," Wade commented.

"Success doesn't have to be work-related, Wade," Lavon commented.

"Funny how Golden boy Tucker got a parade and a party, and I got nothing," Wade muttered, Lavon laughing at his friend and soon to be tenant.

"The founder's day parade was not for George; it got delayed and happened to take place when he returned home," Lavon shared. "It would have happened regardless if George came home or not," Lavon said, grabbing Wade's shoulder. "If it makes you happy we can have a party this weekend for your return," he informed his friend.

"I'd like that," Wade smiled. "Just don't throw one if you pity me," he warned, accepting the chips his brother placed in front of him along with the new bottle of beer.

"No one pities you, Wade," Jesse retorted, at how crazy his brother sounded. "Everyone is happy that you're back."

"Not everyone," Wade muttered, stuffing a chip in his mouth.

"Have you even been over there to see him?" Jesse asked, grabbing a rag to wipe the counter down.

"Not since the day I came back," Wade shared, playing with a chip. Coming home meant facing his dad, and he found that harder than losing the biggest case of his career to date.

It's safe to say that he's had a very rocky relationship with his father, for many years now. The relationship between them being close to nonexistence at this point in his life. He tried to make amends; his father didn't want to hear it. He did get his stubbornness from somewhere.

"He doesn't say it, but he's proud of you, Wade."

"Yeah so much so, he wishes that I would have stayed in the city, where I was suffering," Wade grumbled, washing down a chip with his beer.

"It comes down to pride," Jesse sighed, walking off to check on Wade's food. Wade rolled his eyes, giving his full attention to the chips and beer before him, dismissing the mayor no longer in the mood for any sort of company.

Not wanting to deal with his brother or really anyone, he made his escape back to the Gate house once he finished eating, wanting to finish fixing the place up, so he could move in and have his own place. He worked right through the night, finding the old dusty bed at the same time the morning sun peaked over the horizon.

Waking up in early evening, he took a refreshing shower, happy to hear that the water worked perfectly and needed no work to be done to it. It was just the rest of the place.

With boards replaced and the dust and dirt gone from the place, Wade headed over to the Carriage house, where Lavon told him everything, he needed to furnish the Gate house was stored at. He found a small wooden table, a couple kitchen chairs and the nightstand he could have used yesterday.

Once he got the Gate house set up the way he liked, he grabbed what stuff he had at Jesse's making the Gate house his home. With everything unpacked, he headed to the main house to use the mayor's washer to do some laundry.

"The one and only Lavon Hayes." Wade frowned hearing Lavon talking to someone. With it not being any of his business, he headed to the laundry room. "Lavon is very flattered." Wade shook his head, laughing at how loud his friend is, being able to hear the guy anywhere in the house. "We're going to be great friends," Lavon chuckled.

"Who's stroking that ego of yours?" Wade asked, grabbing the orange juice from Lavon's fridge and pouring himself a glass, replacing the juice, he grabbed some cold pizza, sitting at the kitchen island eating the first meal he's had for the day.

"Bluebell's new resident come December," Lavon stated. "And my new friend," he smiled, texting with Zoe.

"Don't let Lemon see you that happy," Wade teased. Lavon rolled his eyes. "Why are you being all nice to whoever it is?" Wade asked, around a mouthful of pizza.

"Brick wanted to know if she could stay in the carriage house. With the place empty, I saw no harm in it. She's quite the fan of mine," he tacked on.

"Just what we need a crazy fan girl living on the property," Wade scoffed. "Before you move your new BFF in you'll want to get someone to come out, thought I heard a raccoon on the second level," he informed him.

"I'll put it on the top of my to-do list," Lavon said, making a note of it on the notepad stuck to the fridge. "She's not a crazy fan girl. It's a huge favor, not sure why, but it's for Brick," the mayor shrugged. "So for all intents and purposes play nice," he warned.

"Scouts honor," Wade remarked, holding his hand up in the boy scouts' signature sign.

"Weren't you kicked out of the boy scouts for fighting?" Lavon asked with a smirk, getting incoherent mumbles in reply. "Thought so," he chuckled.

"Curious to know who's important enough to be such a huge favor for Brick," Wade asked, curious to know.

"I wasn't clued into the details, sorry man," Lavon stated, with a shrug.

"Either way, I've got a few days I can help spruce the place up," Wade informed him. George was giving him another week before he needed to start work, giving him time to get settled in and giving him some very much needed off time, something he's not seen much of in the past few years. So much so that he even didn't know what he wanted to do with all the time he's been given, so spending time helping Lavon out, would be time consuming, and just what he needed.

"Thanks for that, start whenever, we've got a month and half before she'll be here," Lavon informed him. "Hello?" Lavon asked into his phone, walking off leaving Wade to himself.

Finishing with the pizza and orange juice, he checked on the washer seeing how much longer he had left. With 20 minutes to go, Wade made myself at home, finding something on TV to watch. Putting an old movie on, he pulled his phone out and looked for some charities close by that he could stop in at tomorrow and see how he could help them, all while trying to figure out how to start up his own charity, to help those in need of a lawyer, who couldn't simply afford to have one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Firstly, I am sorry this wasn't up when I said it would be up; I had a few set backs, turns out that when I have no idea on what's going to take place each chapter wrote its self and with this chapter, I had it all planned out, and I had a hard time getting the chapter written. Both dates within this one weren't exactly what I had planned, but I do like how they came to be.**

**Secondly, as this story comes to end as it was only ever meant to be a short Christmas fic, there will be a sequel in the works that I am aiming to have up come February for Valentine's Day. It's unnamed as of now.**

**Thirdly, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, happy whatever religion you celebrate, happy holidays and if none, I hope your day is a good one. **

**And finally, thank you everyone, for the views, the likes, the follows, and the reviews on this one. I do appreciate all the love you give to not only this fic but to all of them. Thank you!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It's hard to avoid a neighbor in such a small town, without even being one of the town doctors in Zoe's case and being one of the lawyers in Wade's case, yet that's what they did. With both parts of the party wanting to avoid the other it became quite easy to do so. They didn't have many reasons to avoid the other, except when Zoe had sought Wade out to hear his side of the so horrible blind date they shared. There they sat, faces inches away, lips looking irresistible. A kiss that would have happened if the moment wouldn't have been ruined by the Truitt brothers.

"Sit," Lavon demanded, looking at both his friends, tired of the game they've been playing. Unlike the rest of Bluebell, he's been put right in the middle of whatever it is they have going on. He shook his head at them as they kept acting like school children, making sure they sat far enough away from each other. "I don't know what this is," he said, pointing at them. "Nor do I care. Y'all just need to get it sorted out, now," he warned, exiting his house.

Wade and Zoe sat in silence, a very awkward silence, avoiding the other one. They knew better than to walk out without trying; neither one of them wanted to disappoint Lavon in that way. And really they were being ridiculous over an almost kiss.

"We get along now," Wade tossed out; his eyes focused on his hands. "We could..." he trailed off, shaking his head. He wouldn't argue with anyone on how good-looking the doc is, he's got eyes, and his ma didn't raise a dummy, the law degree to prove it. She's smart as well, but that didn't mean anything, if they couldn't get along, and be friends.

"We could what?" Zoe snapped, turning to look at him for the first time since entering Lavon's kitchen and turning around to leave seeing Wade standing at the stove. "Pretend the moment didn't happen?" She asked, hurt laced into her voice. She didn't want to forget about that moment. The almost kiss has haunted her since that night, and she craved for an actual kiss with him. If the way they acted towards each other counted for anything, it told her their kiss would the same way, explosive and yes, she wanted to know.

"If that's what you want," he sighed softly, turning to look at her his eyes locking onto her brown eyes. He chuckled to himself as they gazed into the others eyes, the kid in him wanted to yell staring contest and do everything he could do to make her lose. The red-blood male in him wanted to close the distance and taste the very lips her tongue licked.

"What I want," Zoe whispered, licking her lips, her eyes flicking down to his lips. "Is a repeat," she told him, blinking away from the trance she found herself in.

"Doc," he smirked, leaning closer, like he was ready to inform her of a huge secret. "We just had a repeat," he winked. Zoe huffed, rolling her eyes. Wade chuckling at how childish she looked, cute, but childish. "You'd say we did as Lavon asked?" Wade questioned, standing up.

"I'd say so," Zoe nodded, her frown deepening as he backed up to the door.

"Then we're free to go?" He asked, making his exit, before Zoe had any chance of answering his question.

"I guess not," Zoe sighed to herself, grabbing her phone and heading out herself. To do what, she didn't know, all she knew is that today is her day off, and she'd try to enjoy it, that was her plan before Wade blew her off.

You could call it ironic, weird, bizarre or as she liked to call it déjà vu. Some of the same thoughts went through her mind, entering the storage unit that Harley's stuff had been placed in after his family, the one she has yet to go visit, put his place up for sale, the very same house that still sits for sale. She learned very quickly few people are jumping at the chance to move to Bluebell.

She didn't expect to see the same things she had seen at her mom's storage unit. Brick told her enough to know that he never married, that she's the only child he ever had, even if he never got to be called dad by her, something she would have liked.

Wade sat at his desk, his office door open, in case anyone came in, as he's the only one there. He felt like a jerk for running out on Zoe, but he has a plan that he wanted to finish, and she couldn't know anything about it; he didn't want anything to be ruined.

Getting everything he needed to pull off the request, was the easy part, the hard part of this whole thing, keeping it a secret. He didn't dare ask anyone for help, for fear that it would get back to Zoe. No one in the whole town of Bluebell could keep it a secret. They'd all tell one person, and the cycle would only continue. Doing it himself, is the only way.

Shutting down his computer and locking his office up, he headed out his first stop being in Mobile to get what he needed, he only had one night to pull it off, and nothing would stand in his way to get it done.

* * *

_The fancier the place the more he hated it. He would rather spend his night at the local bar where they served beer and not some overly priced wannabe crap from hell, he really didn't know what to call the fancy beer he ordered, he just knew the dirt and mud he had eaten as a child, not willingly, tasted better than the glass they tried to pull off as beer. And if the bad beer isn't bad enough his blind date, is running late. Sure, he hadn't shown up on time either, turning up 10 minutes late, but it's been close to a half-hour and, his date still hasn't shown up._

_Just as he went to signal for the waiter to pay for the crap beer they served, his date sat down, looking not one bit sorry for being a half-hour late. He could forgive her for being late, taking one look at her almost had him drooling like a dog with over how stunning she looked._

_"Sorry, got held up at work, a surgeon didn't show up and immediate surgery is not something I can skip," she told him, not an ounce of being apologetic for a date she didn't even want to be on. Even though she hadn't been on the work schedule, they had called her when they couldn't get a hold of Dr. Mathias. "I would have called or texted, but hey it's a blind date," she rambled. "A glass of Chardonnay, please," she ordered, when the waiter appeared for her drink order._

_"You're here now," Wade shrugged, feeling slightly disappointed that he couldn't go back home and decompress from his day playing video games for half the night or better._

_"Zoe," she told him, sparing him no glance as she looked over the menu, something Wade had already done for over the 20 minutes while he waited on her._

_"Wade," he nodded. "Surgeon huh?" He asked, feeling like the polite thing to do is get to know the woman sitting across from him, no matter how much he hated small talk._

_"Yep, it's rather satisfying work. What is it, you do?" She asked being polite; she already knew that he's a lawyer and his place of work, she didn't want him to know and come off as some sort of crazy stalker._

_"Lawyer, it hasn't been quite as satisfying as it used to be," he heard himself say, taking himself of guard with his words. There was no way he was supposed to share that bit of information with a stranger. "We're gonna forget I ever said that," he stated._

_"I can't get past why'd you work in a place you no longer like," Zoe commented, having a hard time in forgetting Wade's words. To her, it wasn't that hard to find a place of work you love and stay there._

_"Drop it," he warned, grabbing the menu as the stupid waiter seemed to be taking his sweet time on coming back for their food orders._

_"Consider it dropped," Zoe sighed, pulling her phone out to check her messages._

_Wade took a deep breath thinking about apologizing when he noticed Zoe on her phone. He grumbled, ready to get up and leave. He could take blame for half of the atmosphere at the table, the other half you could feel in cold waves from his dinner date._

"_In order to have a date one needs to simply put the damn phone away," Wade grumbled, his eyes scanning the dinning area, wanting their server to hurry up and take their order so this date can be one step closer to being over with._

"_One also needs to learn some manners; they're not hard to learn at all," Zoe quipped out, placing her phone on the table._

"_My manners are keeping me here, all I want to do is get up and walk out the door and say good riddance to you," Wade told her._

"_I'm not stopping you," Zoe told him, taking a sip of her wine. "In fact go, see if I care," she stated, challenging him. If he left, then that meant she could leave as well and salvage the rest of her night, if she wasn't called in again._

"_I think I'll stay," he smirked, stopping the waiter as he went to walk by, wanting to order. He really didn't want to be on this date any longer than necessary._

_The rest of their date hadn't gone smoothingly at all. They remained quiet neither one wanting to strike a conversation up, so a thick tension bubble filled the air around them. Zoe could see him making bedroom eyes at a few of the females who looked his way, and to get even with him, she flirted with a few guys who looked in her direction. Nothing would come of it for her; she wasn't so sure about Wade and his intentions and that ticked her off, for whatever reason. She wasn't jealous, sure he is very easy on the eyes, and she could only imagine the way he looked under the dark-blue three-piece suit he wore. No that wasn't it, the only reasonable explanation is that she was supposed to be getting his full attention, even if they weren't getting along on their date._

"_They have quite the restroom if you want to hook up with your little lady friend, even though her husband sits next to her," Zoe snapped at him._

"_Excuse you?" Wade screeched, keeping his voice low._

"_Don't even try that, I have eyes, and everyone in here can see how you want to attack her, well everyone except her husband."_

"_I hear the restroom is quite fancy if you want to take that mommy's boy to bed," he snapped. "Yeah, I've noticed as well," he smugly smirked. Zoe glared at him. "Here's an idea, we use that restroom together," he suggested, his eyes traveling down her face, over her neck and promptly landing on her chest, the dress she wore, giving him plenty to see with the low cut._

"_I think not," she huffed, grabbing her stuff. "You better stick with your usual clientele," she hissed, standing up. "Consider this date over," she stated, walking off, faintly hearing the laughter come from Wade._

"_And you can keep that stick shoved so far up your…" he trailed off, with a smirk promptly on his lips, Zoe glaring at him, as she climbed into a cab. "I suppose when you walk around like you don't give a rat's ass you can't very well blame them when they think you don't," he yelled at her._

"_Go to hell!" She yelled back at him, shutting the door to the cab and giving the guy her address._

* * *

"Where are we going?" Zoe asked her best friend. Lavon had burst into the carriage house as she ate her feelings, the small feelings that started to grow for a certain neighbor in a pint of ice cream, explaining that someone needed her. She didn't understand why Brick couldn't be of help since he is the doctor on today.

"Now big Z, you'll see when we get there," Lavon told her. You would think with Bluebell being such a small town they'd have been there already, but you'd think wrong as Lavon has been driving them in circles for minutes now with no real destination in mind, and yes she was starting to freak out just a little.

"And when will that be?" She asked, glancing out her window seeing the same building for what honestly felt like the 50th time.

"Now," he commented, his phone making a beeping noise, that he ignored.

"If this is what you guys like doing around here, I might move back to the city, where they at least pretend to be normal," she commented. Lavon catching the teasing to her tone.

"You go ahead and do that, but we all know you won't last; you'll miss us here, and that goes for everyone," he pointedly told her.

"Maybe not Lemon," she frowned. "I don't even know what I did to set her off," she sighed.

"Lemon is a unique soul that takes a bit for her to warm up to someone, and she's known Wade since they were in diapers, and well, stick to it and you might make the close to friend's list," Lavon shrugged. He's seen first-hand how standoffish his girlfriend can be.

"I don't think I can be hopeful on that ever happening," she commented. It didn't matter to her if Lemon became her friend or not. She didn't move to Bluebell for friendships nor love; those were just a few perks along the way; she came to the tiny southern town to learn about her father and the other half of who she is.

"The rest of us can," Lavon stated. "We're here, just ya know, walk to where the fairy lights are at," he chuckled.

"Some direction there, Lavon," she laughed, rolling her eyes, seeing the fairy lights twinkling away on the gazebo.

Walking across the middle of town, her smile only grew, hearing the soft jazz ballads only made her smile that much bigger. The closer she got the more look of the gazebo she got. Wade stood at the steps, in jeans and a plaid shirt, which she learned fairly quickly she prefers to him in the suit. A blanket spread out on the floor of the gazebo, a picnic basket sitting next to it.

"Heard it might rain," he shrugged, holding his hand out for her to take.

"It is better to be prepared," she nodded. "What's going on?" She asked, looking from him, to the gazebo and the few people that walked on by them, not even giving them a glance. How often did things like this happen in the center of town?

"Our first date was well, we won't mention it," he laughed, running his thumb over her knuckles. "This is our repeat, Zoe, if you'll join me," he told her.

"I'll join you," she smiled, stepping closer to him. "First things first," she muttered, pulling him down, her lips seeking his out, eyes closing as sparks flew between them as their lips played a game together.


End file.
